It was about 30 years ago when the British film director Ronald Neame, a big fan, first told me about Leonard Cohen. This Canadian poet turned songwriter was not for everyone, Neame warned. “He’s an acquired taste, but I think you might like him.”

I thought about Neame’s understatement Saturday night at Radio City Music Hall when Cohen literally brought the house down with a lifetime of familiar songs. I had seen Cohen perform twice in the past three decades and, for a while, it appeared he might not tour again. Now, at 74, this show may just be the best concert I’ve ever experienced.

With all the talk about the written word being degraded and devalued in our time, Leonard Cohen turns that notion on its head—making his every word soar. To songs about religion, isolation, sexuality and complex interpersonal relationships, he brings a huge doze of grace, charm and civility. He often sings on his knees, and tips his hat to the audience. Old fashioned manners are so rare these days.

After several encores, Cohen told an adoring New York audience how much he appreciated singing for them. Best yet, you believed he was totally sincere.

I consider Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan the two best singer-songwriters of the past century. Where Dylan’s genius comes fast and loose, Cohen struggles with his work and takes years to carefully craft his songs. Now he can do a three-hour concert where every song is completely familiar.

When he performed “Tower of Song,” Cohen brought cheers when he sang he was "… born with the gift of a golden voice." It also helps when you bring that voice to some of the best songs of a generation.

A great concert as always. He talked very little during the first set, which made it quite special (for me at least). Loved every second of it. Now on to Tuesday and the beautiful Hamilton (my first ever hockey arena concert).

Your review is better than anything that could be in the NY Times! Leonard to the core. Even your words bring shivers up my spine! Each word is our man....sexual, spiritual, complete. There's that word again...orgasmic. Oh yes! Totally. Perhaps not for the men, although I doubt any man would debate the opening lines to A Thousand Kisses Deep! However, probably 90% of the women would agree with you!

JacquelineR wrote: Perhaps not for the men, although I doubt any man would debate the opening lines to A Thousand Kisses Deep! However, probably 90% of the women would agree with you!

The way I've been describing it to people -- the show makes grown women swoon, but it's the grown men who weep. I'm in that latter group. Several passages in the recitation do it for me -- for reason's a man will understand.

Last night's (May 16) show was possibly the most perfect, performance-wise, that I've seen. I do wish that one of these more-recent performances would be committed to CD/DVD.

Leonard Cohen must be the last performing gentleman alive. At his May 16th Radio City concert, the legend was decked out. He dressed in a deep black suit, donned his signature fedora (which a number of fans wore in tribute), and proceeded to croon away the night. The audience responded to his humble sincerity with a standing ovation when he first graced the stage, a standing ovation when paused mid-set to say thank you, and another standing ovation when he left. He thanked his backing band not just by name, but by witty catch-phrase (And now, the commander of winds, on the glorious golden sax and flute, the wonderful, the impeccable Mr...). He is a performer who can catch his audience off guard not by slathering beer on his face and stage-diving, but rather, by delivering spoken word poetry.

I loved you when you opened
Like a lily to the heat
You see I’m just another snowman
Standing in the rain and sleet

Who loved you with his frozen love
His secondhand physique
With all he is and all he was
A thousand kisses deep
- from "A Thousand Kisses Deep"

Cohen is 74 years old, but he has the charm and swagger of someone half his age. Perhaps this is in part due to his five years spent in seclusion as a Zen Buddhist monk, maybe it's that, with age, his baritone voice has deepened into a velvety growl. The poet, novelist, and songwriter is best known by generation X as the original writer of "Halleleuigh," the quintessential ballad of the early 90's, as sung by Jeff Buckley. At the concert, however, "Halleleuigh" only plays a small part in his collection of songs. "Chelsea Hotel No. 2," for example, is about Cohen's brief relationship with Janis Joplin, and the audience cheered after their favorite lines. "You told me again you preferred handsome men/but for me you would make an exception," and "you fixed yourself, you said, 'Well never mind/we are ugly but we have the music.'" And in the beginning of the song, when Cohen sings, "you were talking so brave and so sweet/giving me head on the unmade bed," such lyrics never seem crude, it's beautiful and it's sincere. It is a man who, over four decades into his career, must give a retrospective of his entire life's work in the span of a three hour show. And it is intense.

Accompanied by a full band - three backup singers, bassist/cellist, organ/keyboardist, guitar/steel guitarist, jack of all trades wind instrumentalist, and a classical guitarist imported straight from Barcelona - Cohen will take the stage again at Radio City tonight, May 17th. Tickets are still on sale. Check out The Music Slut for pictures from last night's show.

It’s not everyday that you get the opportunity to catch a legendary artist at a legendary venue on a legendary evening. However, last night Jen and I were two of the 6000 lucky folks in attendance to witness Leonard Cohen’s poignant and gracious 3+ hour set. Words can’t properly do this evening justice. Seeing Leonard Cohen in the flesh was, simply put, a dream come true. I can’t urge you enough to try everything in your power to experience the magic at one of his upcoming North American gigs. Live In London is out now.

I was at Radio City Music Hall and it was, in many ways, a wonderful concert.

There were two aspects I found a little disappointing: I find Roscoe Beck's arrangements much too smooth, particularly as played by Dino Soldo on reeds, and wish there was a bit more edge to the music. The other was that I found the set list a little unimaginative: I haven't been following the tour closely enough to know what the set list was going to be but there wasn't once when I thought: That's an unusual choice or I really didn't expect him to sing that.

Still, the songs are extraordinary and Leonard Cohen himself was marvelous.

Earlier this year I went to see Van Morrison perform "Astral Weeks" twice, once at MSG and once and for days later at the Beacon. The MSG set was excellent, glad to have seen it. The Beacon Theater was electrifying -mid way through the second set Morrison took off and everybody knew it, the band, us, him: he had reached that place even the greats don't always get to (Funnily enough I saw Maroon 5 do the same thing a coupla years ago so it can happen to any one).

But it is tough to do when you have bleed all improvisation from your set. Even if you're one of the master as Leonard Cohen certainly is.

This is New York, Cohen. Don't tell the same jokes that are all over "Live In London". Don't throw "New York" in the middle of "Hallelujiah" (and don't kill the rhymes -you wrote em, sing em). Don't wait for the applause when you sing "First We'll Take Manhattan".... in a word, don't go on automatic, we're NYC, we know when you're faking it.

Having said that, if you're gonna see a guy not bringing his "A" game, this is the guy to see. The material is for the most part sheer brilliance and while it's true he has always had a tenor voice this cracked tenor voice is not the same as the recorded voice and in many ways it suits the songs much better; the band is great; the back up singers brilliant and he is as charming as an aging roue can possibly be.

The three hour set is long, the songs are all too long, and the intermission interminable.

But with all those caveats Leonard Cohen is (Canada's) national treasure and if you get the chance....

Plus I dissed the "Live In London" awhile ago and i take it back entirely. It's a very, very good live album and I recommend it.

It was while waiting on line at the will call behind a thirtysomething female bass player in a rock band and her composer boyfriend that I realized that Leonard Cohen was still speaking to all those who seek answers to the impenetrables.

The couple told me their fathers had turned them on to Cohen, but that they felt if he recorded a new album today it would be every bit as worthy.

I had put my 1973 Leonard Cohen Live Songs album in pride of place on the mantel, the one with the black and white picture of him smoking and communed with it (before the sold out Radio City Music Hall concert) and the youthful longing he so deftly channeled for so many of us.

Known recently for his spiritual artwork and for being Madoffed before Bernie even hit the Street by a voracious business manager, Cohen went back on the concert circuit because he was plum broke.

At the Music Hall last night, you would have never known that either Cohen or his adoring fans, young and old, had an economic worry in the world. The hushed, deco carpeted hall proved a serene and majestic venue for Cohen, the perfect get away from it all that everybody seems to want.

But to where? As he himself acknowledged midway through the set, there's really nowhere to hide anymore.

Cohen sang his standards and more, often beginning each one kneeling, his own homage to his deeply felt work, his signature fedora rakishly tilted at first to totally obscure his expression and then after intermission, to reveal the craggy, wise troubadour. There was even a whiff of the Chairman of the Board, Sinatra himself, who often used a hat too as a way to woo his audience.

But were his eyes mostly closed at the outset so he couldn't see how many of us had aged?
People were bobbing and swaying, some mouthing the words, or singing under their breath, almost as if they were chanting with a guru.

On my right were two people who appeared older than me, on my left much younger. He is someone who still captures longing.

The set was tame and melodic, his version of backup singers more harmonic than Harlettes, his musicians, other than the marvelous guitar player from Barcelona, correct rather than passionate. But they were just following their charming leader.

I'm sure that Cohen at the Beacon had the intimacy that this performance lacked, but since other than Mick Jagger, I haven't been to a rock-ish concert in years it all felt a bit surreal.

Cohen still has the bedroom voice, the luscious, sexy Everybody Knows, no pyrotechnics needed instrument that has taught us about transfiguration and transformation and transmutation. But the post-minimal, hat -doffing delivery sometimes worked against the poetry, the former angst about misplaced love replaced by a serenity that made all those years of using him as a totem for our unrequitedness almost suspect.

Was this the same guy who had hold of our tortured hearts?

If it hadn't been for the father who brought his restless little boy with him in front of me or the drunken fan who was forcibly ejected two thirds of the way through for starting a fight, I would have slipped slightly into somnolence.

As it was, the reverence felt right, somehow. The Troubadours were known for their lyricism and intelligence and we could not have a finer standard bearer.

Earlier this year I went to see Van Morrison perform "Astral Weeks" twice, once at MSG and once and for days later at the Beacon. The MSG set was excellent, glad to have seen it. The Beacon Theater was electrifying -mid way through the second set Morrison took off and everybody knew it, the band, us, him: he had reached that place even the greats don't always get to (Funnily enough I saw Maroon 5 do the same thing a coupla years ago so it can happen to any one).

But it is tough to do when you have bleed all improvisation from your set. Even if you're one of the master as Leonard Cohen certainly is.

This is New York, Cohen. Don't tell the same jokes that are all over "Live In London". Don't throw "New York" in the middle of "Hallelujiah" (and don't kill the rhymes -you wrote em, sing em). Don't wait for the applause when you sing "First We'll Take Manhattan".... in a word, don't go on automatic, we're NYC, we know when you're faking it.

Having said that, if you're gonna see a guy not bringing his "A" game, this is the guy to see. The material is for the most part sheer brilliance and while it's true he has always had a tenor voice this cracked tenor voice is not the same as the recorded voice and in many ways it suits the songs much better; the band is great; the back up singers brilliant and he is as charming as an aging roue can possibly be.

The three hour set is long, the songs are all too long, and the intermission interminable.

But with all those caveats Leonard Cohen is (Canada's) national treasure and if you get the chance....

Plus I dissed the "Live In London" awhile ago and i take it back entirely. It's a very, very good live album and I recommend it.

"In this world of shallow, he is the abyss."~ YouTube commenter greg450318
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